Networking can be such a successful marketing strategy for many small business owners, but when done half-cut it can be more of a case of not-working rather than networking.

Following up on the people you met and business cards you exchanged is critical to starting the relationship building process.

It’s all very well collecting business cards and shoving them in to a rolodex on your desk thinking you have a great network of contacts, but if you relationship hasn’t gone further than that initial handshake and first conversation, it is unlikely the person will be an advocate/client/contact for you in the future – they just may not remember you!

With everyone you meet, follow up with an email – preferably within 24 hours.

“Hi Jo. It was great to meet you at ABC lunch yesterday.  I really enjoyed our discussion on XYZ and liked the approach of your business.  I will certainly pass on your contact details to anyone who may need your services.  By the way, if you or anyone in your network needs help with 123, then do pass them my web address.  Look forward to seeing you sometime in the future, Warm regards Alex”

Leave any “selling” out, include a link in your email signature to a particular product if appropriate and that’s about it.  How hard is that?

Got any more networking tips? Leave a comment below

Other articles you may be interested in:

1. Business Networking is Not Just for the Quiet Times
2. Social Networking: How do you request friends on facebook?
3. Article Marketing: 7 Ways of Making One Article Work Harder For Your Business

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 7:00 am and is filed under Marketing Small Business, Neworking Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.